YouTube's Fine Bros. Attempt to Trademark Reactions

[Greater Melchior]

Remember when King TM tried to put trademarks on the words candy and Saga?

Why yes. Yes we do.

But Ifreann doesn't.

(Image)

This is everything the Fine Bros wanted to trademark.

Ooh, what program is this? A specialized search engine?

Also, weird I'm hearing about this now. How did you get this info?

No news site I've read about the matter mentioned they were trademarking other things...

Especially incredibly specific ones like these.

Jesus fucking Christ...

Found the information through AlphaOmegaSin's recent video about the fine bros.

Here's the video : https://youtu.be/c-gpLGSda_M

Here's the link to that screenshot: https://twitter.com/spudgunjay/status/6 ... 5116168192

[Esceen]

DAE think finebros are hitler?

[The Rich Port]

It's entirely possible that I'm not being fair to reaction videos. I haven't really bothered to expose myself to them enough in order to form a real, informed opinion. And it's not like I hate them. It's just that I don't like them. I mean, if I'm on YouTube, I'm not wasting my time watching reaction videos. There are other, more familiar videos and channels to waste my time on.

If you think they're somehow inferior... Just a little bit unfair. But, opinions. Everybody's got them. Like butts. *nods*

I promise to look up more about the Black Nerd if you promise that, then. Remember, if you break promises... You're a bad person.

Oh no, a mediocre youtube channel with garbage content is going down in flames.

This has never happened before.

Mediocre? You ain't no Immortan Joe, guy.

Also... 22nd most subscribed to channel. Means they make some serious cash from it. Wouldn't call them "mediocre", is my point.

http://socialblade.com/youtube/top/100/mostsubscribed

[The Rich Port]

It should be noted they've been assholes about this before.
For example, going after Ellen - and telling fans to harass her - for having children on her show look at and react to old technology.

https://i.imgur.com/idasVMZ.jpg

They also stole the concept of Elder's React from another channel, stillcosmo, after having issued take-down notices against them, at least if reddit can be trusted.

Here's proof of the Fine Bro$ stealing Elder's React http://youtu.be/vSbOD_WHn6k

To be fair, those videos are suspiciously similar to the Fine Bros. ones... Even the logo on the laptop.

I SHALL INVESTIGATE FURTHER.

[Eol Sha]

It's entirely possible that I'm not being fair to reaction videos. I haven't really bothered to expose myself to them enough in order to form a real, informed opinion. And it's not like I hate them. It's just that I don't like them. I mean, if I'm on YouTube, I'm not wasting my time watching reaction videos. There are other, more familiar videos and channels to waste my time on.

If you think they're somehow inferior... Just a little bit unfair. But, opinions. Everybody's got them. Like butts. *nods*

I promise to look up more about the Black Nerd if you promise that, then. Remember, if you break promises... You're a bad person.

I'd backpedal, but at most I'll be losing maybe half-an-hour of my time so ok. I'll check something out. Any recommendations?

[Eol Sha]

It should be noted they've been assholes about this before.
For example, going after Ellen - and telling fans to harass her - for having children on her show look at and react to old technology.

https://i.imgur.com/idasVMZ.jpg

They also stole the concept of Elder's React from another channel, stillcosmo, after having issued take-down notices against them, at least if reddit can be trusted.

Here's proof of the Fine Bro$ stealing Elder's React http://youtu.be/vSbOD_WHn6k

What makes people think that illuminati/NWO music is a good idea? It really impacts your legitimacy.

[TotallyNotEvilLand]

Mediocre? You ain't no Immortan Joe, guy.

Also... 22nd most subscribed to channel. Means they make some serious cash from it. Wouldn't call them "mediocre", is my point.

http://socialblade.com/youtube/top/100/mostsubscribed

Subscriber count is no indicator of quality, sorry to say. Pewdiepie has the comedic talent of my eight year old self trying to Let's Play way back in 2006, yet he's the most popular channel on Youtube.

That's just me, though. I don't get why watching a bunch of people make goofy faces and say things about a thing is entertaining. At least reviewers attempt analysis, reaction videos are literally just recording someone watching someone else.

[Ifreann]

And you've been wrong every time, because, as I have explained multiple times, trademarks don't prevent other people and companies from making their own versions of the same product. Burger King doesn't own the concept of either burgers or the monarchy.

Well would you look at that, another registered trademark symbol. Maybe they do own being the king of something.

*sigh* So... What's your point?

That trying to trademark something doesn't mean you're trying to own the genre or destroy the competition or anything necessarily bad at all. That trademarks aren't the devil.

What is similar about the word "react" to the Burger King logo?

Oh, right, there isn't any.

They already have trademarks that actually protect their products. "Fine Bros. Entertainment" and maybe even "The React Channel".

And Burger King have a whole bunch of trademarks protecting their brand. They have a trademark on the word 'whopper'.

If anything, following your own logic... Them calling it anything with the word "React" in it just makes it more likely someone is going to confuse them for someone else who makes reaction videos. Instead of prohibiting people from trademarking commmonly used English words... You want to give the Fine Bros. the power to sue anybody or take money from anybody who puts the word "react" anywhere near their own YouTube channel? As someone pointed out elsewhere in this very thread, the Fine Bros. have attempted to abuse trademark law before and got shut down.

As I stated elsewhere in this very thread, I doubt they could have gotten a trademark on the word 'react'. That doesn't make them evil bastards for trying.

How is this reasonable to you, again? Because it seems pretty unreasonable to me.

Maybe it seems unreasonable to you because you made up a bunch of unreasonable shit and decided that that's what I wanted. Maybe that's the entire problem here. You making shit up and deciding that other people are assholes because of that shit you made up. "Fine Bros filing trademarks? Those bastards are trying to say they invented reactions! Ifreann doesn't agree with me? He must not even know the first think about copymark traderights law!"

[The Rich Port]

Mediocre? You ain't no Immortan Joe, guy.

Also... 22nd most subscribed to channel. Means they make some serious cash from it. Wouldn't call them "mediocre", is my point.

http://socialblade.com/youtube/top/100/mostsubscribed

Subscriber count is no indicator of quality, sorry to say. Pewdiepie has the comedic talent of my eight year old self trying to Let's Play way back in 2006, yet he's the most popular channel on Youtube.

That's just me, though. I don't get why watching a bunch of people make goofy faces and say things about a thing is entertaining. At least reviewers attempt analysis, reaction videos are literally just recording someone watching someone else.

Sure, but it doesn't make them... Insignificant or minnow, in that sense of the word "mediocre". Also, it's not like they're popular due to advertising... People just like their product. It's also not like they're making castration machines. They make funny videos.

Pewdiepie's not the most popular anymore... Thankfully. How he gets away with it, I dunno XD

I guess he's like... A clown? Like, literally, his main humor are gesticulations and funny noises, like a literal circus clown? I dunno...

And, well, that is a type of critical analysis, in this case a "First Impression" sort of critique, like the kinds Total Biscuit and Jim Sterling do, except more shallow, admittedly.

Or even Yahtzee Croshaw's "Lets Drown Out" series. He isn't reviewing the game he's playing (but sometimes he does XD); the game isn't the main attraction, it's him and Gabriel talking that's the main attraction. You're not supposed to pay attention to the game, is the original intention... But then it just became a Let's Play series because they ran out of non-annoying topics. XD

And frankly, I'm not one to force people to "analyze" something for the sake of sharing something with others.

For example... Sharing a movie digitally. That's actually illegal, and RIDICULOUSLY so.

[The Rich Port]

Maybe it seems unreasonable to you because you made up a bunch of unreasonable shit and decided that that's what I wanted. Maybe that's the entire problem here. You making shit up and deciding that other people are assholes because of that shit you made up. "Fine Bros filing trademarks? Those bastards are trying to say they invented reactions! Ifreann doesn't agree with me? He must not even know the first think about copymark traderights law!"

I have mentioned multiple times I don't think they're evil for trying. I'm not even angry about it.

However... It IS unreasonable, and you yourself have said there's no way it's getting past a judge. Why bother trying in the first place when there's been multiple examples of this failing?

What else does trademarking the word "react" do? Because it doesn't protect their brand; it instead takes the word away from others, or at the very least pissing on their shoes for trying.

This has happened before... And the same objections have been raised and approved numerous times:

http://kotaku.com/why-the-ridiculous-ca ... 1507064357

They apparently even actually got the fucking trademarks for "Kids React" and "Elders React".

Yes... They momentarily owned the concepts of children and elderly people reacting to things.

Until everybody found out and decided that's fucking ridiculous.

Ya know, Iffy... Maybe it's just unreasonable to expect them to trademark such a thing... And you're the one just "imagining things".

Like, your point. I still don't get it.

Is your point that I don't know what trademarks are?

I know what they are now... And the Fine Bros. trademarking a common English word still doesn't make sense to me... Or anybody else in this thread, for that matter.

... Or anybody else on the planet for that matter, including at least one lawyer, and he would know what trademarks are and what can and cannot be trademarked.

[The Orson Empire]

The Fine Bros have conceded:

https://medium.com/@FineBrothersEnt/a-message-from-the-fine-brothers-a18ef9b31777#.qzw2lj95k

Despite this, the damage has already been done. Because of one video, the Fine Bros have virtually destroyed their reputation and lost hundreds of thousands of active subscribers.

[The Rich Port]

The Fine Bros have conceded:

https://medium.com/@FineBrothersEnt/a-message-from-the-fine-brothers-a18ef9b31777#.qzw2lj95k

Despite this, the damage has already been done. Because of one video, the Fine Bros have virtually destroyed their reputation and lost hundreds of thousands of active subscribers.

I already posted that in the OP

Also, they apparently have never apologized for other instances of them abusing trademark law, though, to be fair, I haven't confirmed that... Though if they did do it, they should really apologize for that too before someone exposes them for that too.

They just tried to sneak this in without anybody noticing... They actively destroyed evidence in the other allegation.

Also... Which video are you talking about?

[Ganos Lao]

The Fine Bros have conceded:

https://medium.com/@FineBrothersEnt/a-message-from-the-fine-brothers-a18ef9b31777#.qzw2lj95k

Despite this, the damage has already been done. Because of one video, the Fine Bros have virtually destroyed their reputation and lost hundreds of thousands of active subscribers.

Have you seen the live streams of their falling sub counts? Or the parodies of their Kids React videos where the kids react to the same?

This one here, though, encapsulates the situation.

[The Rich Port]

The concerns people have about React World are understandable, and that people see a link between that and our past video takedowns, but those were mistakes from an earlier time.

Makes me wonder what videos they're talking about... It can't be the Content ID ones, right? Content ID is automated, they can't control that, people are totally fine with them taking down exact reposts of their videos. That's not what's at issue here... What's at issue is them abusing their numerous trademarks to prevent people from doing something that they don't own, which HAS HAPPENED BEFORE.

But, at least they admit (somewhat halfheartedly, but, meh, probably just me... Also, not sure if they're apologizing for their stupidity or for... Not knowing that this would make people angry...) they were in the wrong, one way or another...

... Not exactly content with that, but whatever.

[Salus Maior]

They're the not so Fine Bros. now! They're not even Mediocre Bros. They're just Awful Bros for their excessive greed.

[The Rich Port]

The Fine Bros have conceded:

https://medium.com/@FineBrothersEnt/a-message-from-the-fine-brothers-a18ef9b31777#.qzw2lj95k

Despite this, the damage has already been done. Because of one video, the Fine Bros have virtually destroyed their reputation and lost hundreds of thousands of active subscribers.

Have you seen the live streams of their falling sub counts? Or the parodies of their Kids React videos where the kids react to the same?

This one here, though, encapsulates the situation.

To be fair, what the lawyer and Iffy said does kinda make me wonder about their apology...

Are they apologizing because they think what they did was wrong... Or because the Internet thinks what they did was wrong?

Is it our fault that we think this is ridiculous? The lawyer himself certainly thinks so, though the message in the Kotaku article is not to blame the Fine Bros., but rather the broken trademark law system...

Frankly, dunno why we can't be angry at both. Rather than... NOT do this, or, even better, make a video about past abuses, they decided to abuse the fuck out of the law to "protect their brand".

... Didn't even know it was under attack in the first place.

[Yootxtlalkaan]

DAE think finebros are hitler?

nahh half of nsg thinks hitler was a pretty swell guy

[The Rich Port]

DAE think finebros are hitler?

nahh half of nsg thinks hitler was a pretty swell guy

Meh, pretty sure it's like 1/4.

Also... What the heck is DAE?

[Yootxtlalkaan]

nahh half of nsg thinks hitler was a pretty swell guy

Meh, pretty sure it's like 1/4.

Also... What the heck is DAE?

"does anyone else", often used by now as sarcasm/rhetorical question

[The Rich Port]

Meh, pretty sure it's like 1/4.

Also... What the heck is DAE?

"does anyone else", often used by now as sarcasm/rhetorical question

Egh, dang millennials and their sarcastic abbreviations...

I'm too old for that shit.

[Frank Zipper]

Warner Brothers are going to take them to court for infringing their trademark by using the word Brothers...

[Alvecia]

Warner Brothers are going to take them to court for infringing their trademark by using the word Brothers...

Not if the Mario Bros. beat them to it.

[TotallyNotEvilLand]

Warner Brothers are going to take them to court for infringing their trademark by using the word Brothers...

Not if the Mario Bros. beat them to it.

I heard the Wright Brothers are making a comeback just to whup some legal ass over it.

[Ifreann]

Yes... They momentarily owned the concepts of children and elderly people reacting to things.

Nope. Fuck this. I'm done. I cannot keep explaining to you that this is not how trademark works only for you to ignore it every time and carry on making snide insinuations about what I must not know and what I must want and believe, not without getting banned.

[Khadgar]

I don't have any particular opinion one way or the other one what they were attempting (though I will say it doesn't appear to have been malicious or particularly greed driven), but I do enjoy the fact that they're losing subscribers because of this. Not sure why I enjoy it, it's just funny to me.